Rosebank - BourbonSphere

Ask the Whisky Maker: Compass Box’s James Saxon

James Saxon took on the role as chief whisky maker for Compass Box following founder John Glaser’s sudden departure several weeks ago. It’s a journey… Read More

James Saxon took on the role as chief whisky maker for Compass Box following founder John Glaser’s sudden departure several weeks ago. It’s a journey that started with a Compass Box tasting Saxon organized as a student at the University of St. Andrews a decade ago. He’ll answer your questions about Compass Box in this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Port Ellen Distillery is alive and humming once again, while Rosebank plans to open its new visitors center in June. Woodford Reserve has created a $15,000 Bourbon to celebrate the 150th Kentucky Derby May 4, and we’ll have details and tasting notes, too.

Episode 1049: March 24, 2024

Photo courtesy Compass Box.

Salvaged Rosebank 31-Year Coming To The USA

31-Year-Old single malt whisky from Lowlands distillery, Rosebank, will be available in the USA after initially being available in August 2022 in the UK. The Lowlands distillery was closed in 1993, then purchased by Ian Macleod Distillers in 2017 and is currently scheduled to be re-opened in 2024. Rosebank 31-year-old single malt whisky was saved […]

The post Salvaged Rosebank 31-Year Coming To The USA first appeared on Whisky Critic – Whisky Reviews & Articles – Style. Attitude. Whisky..

Rosebank 31-year-old single malt whisky was saved from casks prior to the distillery’s closing [representing the last of the “old Rosebank” before the distillery re-opens] is bottled at 48.1% alcohol by volume [96.2 proof] and is said to offer both floral and fruit notes.

Rosebank 31-Year-Old is being made available for $3,300 per 700 ml bottle.

The post Salvaged Rosebank 31-Year Coming To The USA first appeared on Whisky Critic - Whisky Reviews & Articles - Style. Attitude. Whisky..

A Deep Dive Into Scotch Whisky Data

There’s a lot of data behind the whiskies we enjoy, and analyzing that data can give us some insights into the health of the whisky… Read More

There’s a lot of data behind the whiskies we enjoy, and analyzing that data can give us some insights into the health of the whisky industry. Martin Purvis and Duncan McFadzean examine whisky data for their Commercial Spirits Intelligence newsletter, and concluded that last week’s Scotch Whisky export numbers aren’t as bad as they might appear on face value. We’ll talk with Martin Purvis about the analysis on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, we have details on this year’s crop of annual releases from Four Roses, Heaven Hill, and Old Forester, along with the rest of the week’s new releases. We’ll also have our Community segment and explain in Behind the Label why you can’t get a Kentucky Bourbon Trail passport stamped at one of the Commonwealth’s most popular distilleries.

Episode 1019: August 27, 2023

Elijah Craig Ryder Cup Limited Edition Highlights Week’s New Releases

Heaven Hill is leveraging its partnership with this year’s Ryder Cup with a new version of Elijah Craig Bourbon. The Bourbon is finished in European… Read More

Heaven Hill is leveraging its partnership with this year’s Ryder Cup with a new version of Elijah Craig Bourbon. The Bourbon is finished in European Oak barrels that were toasted with a profile similar to that used in Italy’s Lazio wine region near where the Ryder Cup will be contested next month. The commemorative bottling is a one-time only release that will carry a recommended retail price of $99.99 a bottle.

Heaven Hill has also released the Spring 2023 batch of Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond Bourbon….this whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2013, and the 10-year-old Bourbon carries a recommended retail price of $139.99.

Hemingway Whiskey Company has unveiled the new Signature Edition of Hemingway Rye Whiskey. The whiskey comes from the Call family, which sourced and blended the whiskey to be finished in rum-seasoned Oloroso Sherry Casks. Look for tasting notes soon at the WhiskyCast web site.

We featured the revival of Rosebank Distillery on the show a couple of weeks ago, and Rosebank has now released a 30-year-old bottling exclusively for the Asian market. It’s the first expression in Rosebank’s Revival Series, with a total of six expressions to be released in the coming years. Only 800 bottles are available in Asia, with a recommended price of $86,000 Taiwanese dollars…about $2700 U.S. dollars at current exchange rates.

Tomintoul Distillery has released a new travel retail exclusive series of whiskies inspired by the Cairngorms National Park that surrounds the distillery. The lineup includes the Tundra Bourbon Cask and Tor Oloroso Sherry cask bottlings, along with the Tarn peated single malt. Prices range from £40 for the Tundra to £55 for the Tor. The collection is available at World Duty Free airport shops worldwide.

Finally, Brooklyn’s Widow Jane Distillery has rolled out its Paradigm Rye nationally in the U-S after a soft launch in key markets. It’s the first nationally available Widow Jane release that includes whiskey distilled at the Widow Jane Distillery in Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood.

It’s bottled at 46-point-5 percent ABV, and carries a recommended retail price of 49-99 a bottle…I tasted this whiskey last year when it was first released, and you can find my tasting notes for it at WhiskyCast dot com.

This story was published August 14, 2023.

Whisky and Music Come Together in Rhythm & Booze Records

Whisky and music go perfectly together, but Felipe Schrieberg and Paul Archibald are taking the volume up to 11 with Rhythm & Booze Records. They’re… Read More

Whisky and music go perfectly together, but Felipe Schrieberg and Paul Archibald are taking the volume up to 11 with Rhythm & Booze Records. They’re combining an independent record label with an independent bottler and making whiskies to match their music, which can be streamed using a QR code on each bottle. We’ll talk with Felipe Schrieberg on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth and share tasting notes for their debut release, Rhythm & Booze Records Release #1. In the news, Molson Coors has acquired Blue Run Spirits to expand its presence in the whisky business, and we’ll talk with David Coors and Blue Run’s Mike Montgomery about the deal. David Beckham is splitting with Diageo’s Haig Club Scotch Whisky brand, and there’s a new Elijah Craig Bourbon out to celebrate next month’s Ryder Cup.

Episode 1017: August 13, 2023

Photo courtesy The Rhythm & Booze Project.

Inbox / The Week’s Whisky News (August 11, 2023)

Welcome to Inbox, our weekly round up of whisky news and PR material that has found its way in to our WFE email. It was created as we cannot write full articles or do justice to every piece received. It features items from around the world of whisky and is published by us each Friday. Within Inbox we aim to write a few lines detailing each press release/piece of news/PR event that we have received and provide links, where possible, for you to find out further information.

Here is the round-up of the news from this week.

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Glenallachie

The independently-owned Speyside distillery of Glenallachie has announced the release of three bottlings that will form the first whiskies in their new Regional Exclusives series. The series will feature a selection of unusual cask finishes.

The trio all had initial maturation in American oak ex-bourbon barrels before being transferred to the unorthodox casks for finishing. Each whisky will be exclusive to a different world region - Asia, Europe and the UK - and created by Billy Walker, Master Blender for Glenallachie.

The Glenallachie 10 years old Ruby Port Wood Finish is exclusive to the Asian market and has undergone a 36-month finish in ex-Ruby Port barrels sourced from the Douro Valley in Portugal. It will cost £66. The Glenallachie 11 years old Marsala Cask Finish is exclusive to the UK and has experienced a 42-month finish in ex-Marsala casks sourced from Sicily. It will cost £66.

The Glenallachie 12 years old Moscatel Wood Finish is exclusive to Europe and has been finished in ex-Moscatel dessert wine casks from Portugal. It will cost £68. All are bottled at 48% ABV and are both non chill-filtered and of natural colour.

"Maturation is such an imperative part of the whisky-making journey. These three single malts underwent an interesting ageing process in the finest wood. In sourcing our casks, we seek out niche, boutique producers that align with our business model."
Billy Walker.

Glenlivet

The popular distillery of Glenlivet has launched a pair of ready-to-serve whisky cocktails that use its Speyside single malt - The Glenlivet Twist & Mix Cocktails. They are designed to make it easier for consumers to make cocktails at home without any leftover ingredients, complex recipes or need for bar equipment. The collection debuts with two classic expressions - the New Manhattan (pictured, above left) and the Old Fashioned (pictured, above right).

The Glenlivet Twist & Mix Cocktails have been packaged in a 375ml bottle format and contain eight recommended serves. The bottle features first-to-market technology in the form of the Vessl cap closure - this keeps the cocktail fresh and mix components as the bottle is poured. The Twist & Mix Cocktails will initially be available exclusively in the USA, with other markets following in due course. Both will retail for $US22 (£17.50).

"For nearly 200 years, The Glenlivet has broken tradition, and together with Vessl we have developed a new way to enjoy ready-to-drink cocktails – unleashing a fresh, elevated at-home experience that meets global consumer demand. We think the world is ready for perfectly-made single malt whisky cocktails."
Jane Murphy / Global Marketing Director for Malts at Chivas Brothers.

Rosebank

The Lowland distillery of Rosebank, which restarted production after 30 years of closure last week, has revealed the first bottling in a new series named The Revival Collection. The Rosebank 30 years old - The Revival Chapter One has been created exclusively for the Asian market and is limited to just 800 bottles.

The whisky has been matured in American oak ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at the natural cask strength of 49% ABV. The bottling will be available in selected markets including China and Taiwan, and is both non chill-filtered and of natural colour. A bottle will cost $US2,700 (£2,150).

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Reviving Rosebank Distillery After 30 Silent Years

When Rosebank Distillery’s stills went silent in 1993, many whisky lovers assumed the Falkirk distillery was gone forever – especially after thieves stole the copper… Read More

When Rosebank Distillery’s stills went silent in 1993, many whisky lovers assumed the Falkirk distillery was gone forever – especially after thieves stole the copper stills for scrap a couple of years later. Now, after 5 and a half years of work, Rosebank has come back to life, and the team at Ian Macleod Distillers filled the first casks of Rosebank since 1993 this week. We’ll talk with Ian Macleod’s Gordon Dundas about the revival of Rosebank on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth.

In the news, the whisky world pays tribute to the Bon Accord’s Paul McDonagh after the legendary Glasgow whisky bar’s owner passed away this week. Speyburn Distillery in Scotland is opening its doors to visitors for the first time starting next week, and we’ll have the details. We’ll take a look at sweet mash and sour mash distilling on Behind the Label, and our tasting notes this week include whiskies from Amrut and Arran distilleries.

Episode 1014: July 23, 2023

Photo courtesy Ian Macleod Distillers

Rosebank Distillery No Longer Silent After 30 Years

Nearly six years after Ian Macleod Distillers announced plans to revive the long-closed Rosebank Distillery, the stills have been fired up and spirit once again… Read More

Nearly six years after Ian Macleod Distillers announced plans to revive the long-closed Rosebank Distillery, the stills have been fired up and spirit once again flows. The ceremonial first cask of whisky was filled this week, and in a nod to the distillery’s tradition, it was a refill ex-Bourbon barrel.

“It’s been a bit of a journey, obviously, through COVID and a whole range of other things,” said Gordon Dundas of Ian Macleod Distillers. “To have now spirit running through the stills is fabulous, and obviously, very much in the style of what Rosebank should be,” he said in a Zoom interview for the next episode of WhiskyCast.

The Falkirk distillery’s original equipment was stolen for scrap after Rosebank closed in 1993, but Ian Macleod acquired the distillery’s blueprints and other records when it bought the rights to the Rosebank brand from Diageo in 2017. Working with Forsyths, the three new stills were built to the original specifications. The goal was to recreate the original Rosebank spirit character as closely as possible with modern equipment.

Ian Macleod Distillers’ Gordon Dundas, managing director Leonard Russell, and Rosebank Distillery manager Malcolm Rennie with the ceremonial first cask of spirit. Image courtesy Ian Macleod Distillers.

“We’re aware it’s not going to be identical, but there’s a reason we’ve got the same-shaped stills and the wormtub condensers,” Dundas said. “Arguably, Rosebank is one of the most spirit-led whiskies in Scotland, if you look at all the old Rosebanks historically in refills, we’ll be looking to produce the same style.” That includes triple-distillation, making Rosebank one of a handful of distilleries in Scotland using triple-distillation instead of the more common pair of wash and spirit stills.

Ian Macleod also acquired all of Diageo’s remaining stocks of Rosebank single malt distilled between 1989 and 1993 with the purchase, and has been releasing vintage expressions of Rosebank while the construction project continues. Work remains on the distillery’s visitors center, which is expected to open in early 2024.

Links: Rosebank Distillery

31-Year-Old Rosebank Unveiled

Ian Macleod Distillers has released a 31-year-old single malt from long-dormant Lowlands distillery Rosebank [the casks were salvaged from the Rosebank distillery in Falkirk, Scotland, before it closed in 1993]. Ian Macleod Distillers acquired the Rosebank site in October 2017, with plans to re-open the distillery in early 2023. The Rosebank 31 Years Old single […]

The Rosebank 31 Years Old single malt was bottled at 48.1% alcohol by volume [96.2 proof] and is said to contain notes of banana bread, berry, camomile, coriander, lemongrass, lime, mint and peach.

Rosebank 31 Years Old single malt is being made available for $2,175 per 700ml bottle.

Islay Boys, Islay Whisky (Episode 964: August 7, 2022)

Scotland’s Isle of Islay is known for its distilleries, and construction will begin soon on the island’s 12th distillery near the shores of Laggan Bay. The Islay Boys, Donald MacKenzie and Mackay Smith, plan to build the new Laggan Bay Distillery across from Islay’s airport on the site of a former RAF World War II barracks. MacKenzie and Smith also own the island’s lone brewery, and plan to make Islay Ales part of the Laggan Bay development. We’ll catch up with Donald MacKenzie on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Kentucky’s Bourbon community is coming together again to help Read More »

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